CHART FAQs

ARIA collects recorded music sales data from the majority of Australia's music retailers. ARIA also collects data on streaming activity from streaming service providers. For physical product, the data from each store is matched with the ARIA database and the sales figures are extrapolated to achieve a 'best estimate' of the actual overall sales of each title. Titles are ranked according to their 'weighted' sales figures and, where applicable, eligible streaming activity. For all the details on how the charts are calculated, please see the Code of Practice for ARIA Charts, available on this site.

The ARIA charts are calculated once a week on Friday. They are based on retail recorded music sales (and, where applicable, streaming activity) within Australia for the week from the preceding Friday to the Thursday prior to calculation. The new charts are usually published on our website on Saturday night Eastern Australian time.

There is no fixed number of sales required to achieve a certain chart position on any given week. A rough guide can be drawn by looking at the average accreditation over a number of weeks. For example, if a title goes Gold in 7 weeks it could be assumed that it has sold an average of 5,000 copies per week (35,000 sales/7 weeks).

The ARIA accreditations are based on sales from the record companies to retailers, while the charts are based on sales from the retailers to the public. Sometimes a title purchased in great quantity by stores in anticipation of massive retail sales may sell more slowly than expected and a less highly anticipated release may exceed expected sales.

While it is not common, this happens every now and again. The ARIA chart is based on recorded music sales (and, where applicable, streaming activity) across Australia. Titles are ranked according to their results in each state and the national position is determined by ranking the summed sales totals across the five ARIA state charts. However, titles do not always sell consistently across the country.

Here is a simplified example to illustrate the concept. Assume that there are only four titles competing for positions, titles A, B, C and D.

On the first week, the titles charted and (sold) as follows:

TITLE

NSW

VIC/TAS

QLD

SA

WA

TOTAL SALES

POSITION

A

1 (10)

3 (4)

3 (4)

1 (6)

1 (6)

(30)

1

B

2 (5)

2 (5)

2 (5)

2 (5)

2 (5)

(25)

3

C

3 (4)

1 (8)

1 (7)

3 (4)

3 (4)

(27)

2

D

4 (1)

4 (1)

4 (1)

4 (1)

4 (1)

(5)

4

On the following week, the scenario changes to this:

TITLE

NSW

VIC/TAS

QLD

SA

WA

TOTAL SALES

POSITION

A

1 (10)

10 (1)

10 (1)

1 (6)

1 (6)

(24)

4

B

3 (8)

3 (6)

3 (5)

3 (4)

3 (4)

(27)

1

C

10 (2)

1 (8)

2 (6)

2 (5)

2 (5)

(26)

2

D

2 (9)

2 (7)

1 (7)

10 (1)

10 (1)

(25)

3

From this scenario, it can be seen that title B, despite falling from No.2 to No.3 in every State actually climbs to No.1 nationally, while title A suffers almost the opposite fate. Of course, the order of the weeks could be reversed and title B's national fate would also be reversed.

For all the details on how the charts are calculated, please see the Code of Practice for ARIA Charts, available on this site.

The bullets attached to both the ARIA Singles and Albums charts are determined by upward chart movement over the previous week. The number of places that a title needs to move to qualify for a bullet is less towards the top of the chart.

It is more difficult to move up five places in the top 10 than it is to move 20 at the lower end of the top 50. Titles do not qualify for bullets below position 70 on the chart.

The ARIA charts date back to the middle of 1983 but our database only goes back to mid 1988 when we started calculating the charts in-house. Accessing information for ad-hoc chart enquiries can be quite time consuming and may incur a charge. If you would like to know how much your request will cost, email us your requirements.

As good as our musical knowledge is, it can be difficult for us to identify songs you've heard on your local radio station. Make a note of the station that played the song and the date and time that you heard it, then contact the station directly. Most stations should be able to give you the information you need.

We do not sell music on our site. If you wish to purchase any of the titles listed on any of our charts, contact a music retailer. A non-exhaustive list of retailers can be found at our ARIA Chart Stores page.

First and foremost, it must be eligible for inclusion in the chart. In order to ensure that ARIA is able to effectively track all titles, it will also be necessary for you to advise ARIA that you wish to have it tracked and provide ARIA with the necessary information for inclusion in ARIA's chart database.

Please contact the ARIA Chart Department if you have any queries in relation to the eligibility rules or any other requirements.